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Trails Workshops (Part 1 & 2)

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Do you love trails? We do! Willistown Conservation Trust is offering virtual trails workshops! Hosted by Andrew Kirkpatrick, Director of Stewardship and Mike Cranney, Preserve Manager, they’ll be discussing trail planning, construction, and maintenance. Learn more about materials, tools, and demonstrations of techniques like bog bridge construction, turnpikes, grade reversals and how to handle wet spots on trails. 

This workshop is funded in part by the Pennsylvania Land Trust Association and the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources’ Pennsylvania Recreational Trails Program funded through the Federal Highway Administration. 

Trails Workshop: Part 1 | Trail Materials

Trails Workshop: Part 1 | Trail Tools

Trails Workshop: Part 2 | Turnpike

Trails Workshop: Part 2 | Bog Bridges

Videos created by Sophia Gross, Communications & Marketing Intern.

Mapping the Ashbridge Tree Planting

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The most important part of a tree planting usually comes after the trees are in the ground.  Recently planted trees can not be left unattended or else they will be out-competed by invasive plants or eaten by deer. Consistent tree maintenance is crucial to the survival of a young tree until it can get established in its new environment. For a tree planting in a rural setting, like the recent planting at Ashbridge Lake, maintenance includes weeding, mowing, pruning, and replacing tree tubes to keep deer from damaging the trees. Performing all of this maintenance on a tree planting with close to 1,000 trees can get complicated. Fortunately, we can use technology like a geographic information system (GIS) to help us organize tree maintenance and keep track of every tree on a site. 

Over this past summer the Watershed Protection Team did exactly that. Using software from ArcGIS, our team mapped every tree that was planted over the last two years at the Ashbridge Lake site in Ashbridge Preserve. That is a total of 691 trees with a few hundred more set to be planted sometime in 2021. We collected the latitude and longitude of every tree and recorded the species, size, health, and date each tree was planted. We also recorded the last time each tree was maintained.  All of this data was compiled and each tree was represented with a point to create the maps shown below.

  • Trees planted at Ashbridge Lake on both banks of Ridley Creek and along the Ridley Creek Loop trail. Each color represents one of the 29 different species planted. 
  • The health of each tree was broken down into four different categories.

In addition to creating a visualization of all of the trees planted along Ridley Creek these maps create a database of information on all of our trees. Keeping track of when each tree was last maintained will help us create a streamlined maintenance system. Data on health helps us monitor the success of the tree planting and look for any unresolved problems in the planting site like areas with poor soil or frequent flooding. Measuring the size of each tree will allow us to look at growth rates to see which species are best suited for our site. All of this information is very valuable when planning for the next stage of planting at this site or for scoping out other sites that need to be reforested. 

The goal of the tree planting at Ashbridge Lake is to restore the riparian buffer along the creek which will provide habitat and food for native wildlife while improving the water quality of the stream. To achieve these goals it is necessary that as many trees as possible reach full maturity. Creating a tree map to help organize a maintenance plan and collect detailed information on each tree is one tool we can use to assure our tree planting reaches its fullest potential as soon as possible. 

This tree planting was made possible by generous funding provided by the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources and TreeVitalize. See below for the full interactive map and list of species.

View larger map

EVAN HUNT joined the team as a Conservation Associate in January. Evan Hunt is a native of southeastern Pennsylvania and graduated from Ursinus College in 2018 with a BA in Environmental Studies. Since then, he has worked on a number of riparian buffer restoration projects and become well-versed in native plant identification.

History of the Trails Team

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Besides its abundance of over 7,500 acres of countryside permanently protected from development, Willistown has long been known for its lovely network of trails, consisting of both eased (permanently protected) and uneased equestrian and pedestrian trails. In October of 2012, the “Willistown Trails Team” was formally created as a subcommittee of the Trust’s Land Protection committee.

The Team’s purpose
With the support of the community, the Trails Team Subcommittee is committed to assuring the ultimate connectivity and preservation of our precious trail network. Its goals are to:

(1) identify and map critical equestrian and pedestrian trail corridors within the Trust’s program area
(2) develop strategies for acquiring trail easements on currently unprotected trails
(3) coordinate with landowners to improve access to, and maintenance of, both protected and unprotected trails.

The Trails Team continues the good work of the Willistown Area Trails Association (WATA) and is staffed by volunteers who are a hardworking group of land conservation advocates, fox hunters, recreational riders, and outdoor lovers.

Andrew Kirkpatrick, Director of Stewardship Testimonial.

Planting in Fall

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A volunteer gardener at Rushton Farm this August. Photo by Jennifer Mathes

              Although fall is when most things begin to die back, there is no better time to put new life into the ground! It is obviously a beautiful season to get outside, but it also presents the perfect conditions for a young plant to thrive. Getting your planting done now will make both your and your plants’ lives a whole lot easier come next spring.

The most significant benefit of planting in the fall is the jump-start it gives plants to get their roots established. Because they are not battling the heat and drought of the summer, the plants are able to focus their energy on growing a strong root system. This gives them more time to gain strength before they emerge in the spring and take on the summer heat. In addition, the cooler autumn weather means less watering, and fewer hungry pests. There are also practical reasons to plant in the fall. Having just gone through the spring and summer, you know exactly what additions your garden may need, and when everything is busy next spring, you’ll be thrilled with the time you have saved.

Fall is a great time to add herbaceous perennials to your garden so that they are ready to emerge come spring, but it is an especially ideal time to plant trees and shrubs. These woody species depend on a strong root base, and require more time to get established, so getting them started now puts them at an advantage. Maples and oaks fare particularly well planted this time of year. Fall is also the time to plant spring blooming bulbs, as they need to go through winter in the ground in order to break their dormancy.

As always, we recommend using native plants in your yard for the benefit of our birds, pollinators, and other wildlife. Luckily, there are wonderful local nurseries nearby where you can find natives, such as Redbud, Mostardi, and Octararo. We also have a variety of resources on our website that explain the benefits of native plants and offer suggestions for which ones to use, including our recent virtual presentation on native plants in your landscape, and our Homeowner Resource Guide. And of course, you can always come out to visit our office and preserves for inspiration. Happy planting and enjoy the fall!

Bumble bee on Culver’s Root. Photo by Blake Goll/Staff

Fall Planting Tips:

  • It is best to plant once the weather is somewhat cooler, but plants will still need 4-6 weeks to get established before the ground freezes. Mid-September through the end of October is generally the best time to do your planting.
  • Dig your holes only as deep as the container the plant is in, and twice as wide. Loosen any tangled or circling roots by hand before placing the plant in the ground.
  • Bury your plants so that the root flare (where the roots start to spread from the trunk/stem) is just above ground level, and tamp the soil in firmly.
  • Adding mulch will help the soil hold moisture, and provide insulation for the roots over the winter (be sure not to pile mulch over the root flare).
  • With cooler fall temperatures, new plants won’t need quite as much water as they would in the summer, but it is still important for their establishment to keep them hydrated. Always thoroughly water in after planting, and as needed depending on the weather and soil moisture.
Native bee and Virginia cup plant. Photo by Jennifer Mathes

Stewardship Volunteer Program – Update!

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For the past few months, the stewardship department has missed getting the chance to meet and work with new people each week while our volunteer days have been on hold. But finally, we have an update! We are excited to announce that we will begin welcoming back, on a limited basis, volunteers who want to help us work at our preserves.

Common milkweed blooming at Kirkwood Preserve. Photo by Blake Goll/Staff

To maintain safe and comfortable conditions, we will not be resuming our regular weekly volunteer days just yet. Instead, we will be coordinating with anyone interested to schedule a time during the week when they can come out and work with us in smaller groups of one or two volunteers. While this isn’t as fun as getting everyone together, it will still allow us to get acquainted, tackle some much needed projects, and hopefully give you all a nice way to get outside and take out some stress on invasive plants!

These work sessions will be guided by a member of the stewardship team who will go over the day’s project and provide any necessary tools, while ensuring that proper social distancing measures are taken. If you are interested in scheduling a time to join us, or have any further questions, please contact our Preserve Manager, Mike Cranney. (mjc@wctrust.org)